Teething Relief

Words on Parenting Wednesday is a weekly post series on the subject of parenting. I’ll talk about any adventures we have with our girls to motherhood experiences to fun and games for children.

When it comes to teething for your infant/toddler, what do you do to relieve their pain? What are some ways to comfort your child when they are teething?

When it comes to teething, I’ve had lots of experience with my two girls, Katie (2.5 years old) and Sophia (17 months). My girls seemed to be in the most pain when their first few teeth and their first molars poke through. Teething can sure be a fun time. Not.

Sophia is currently getting her first molars. We had a long night last week and we were up for an hour during the wee hours of the morning with teething pain. I did whatever I could to comfort her. Sophia finally was feeling better and we were able to get few more hours of sleep on the couch.

Katie, 4 months old

Sophia, 4 months

Since Sophia is teething, I was inspired to come up with a list of ways to relieve the pain while infants/toddlers are teething. Below are 7 ways of teething relief.

1. Tylenol. This is the number one medicine I give my girls whenever they have  a fever or I can tell they are in pain because of teething. Tylenol usually takes 15-30 minutes to kick in to get the results of relieving the pain. Cherry or grape flavor? My girls liked the cherry flavor better.

2. Cold teething toys. The coldness of the toy feels really good against infants/toddlers gums. I give my girls the cold teething toy while the Tylenol is kicking it. The toy gives them an instant relief while chewing on it.

3. Holding/cuddling. When infants/toddlers are in teething pain, they need a lot of comfort by holding and cuddling. Sophia and I did a lot of this yesterday. She loves the comfort of being in my arms. It helps her feel better.

4. Singing/music. The sound of your voice singing or music playing helps sooth your infant/toddler to sleep when their teeth are hurting. I will sing or play music on a baby lullaby station on Pandora for my girls. This is especially helpful during nap time and wee hours in the morning.

5. Rub by ears. When infants/toddlers are teething, you see them pulling on their ears. I rub by my girls’ ears. Rubbing by their ears help them relax and feel better.

6. Cold juice/milk. Since anything cold feels great against infants/toddlers gums, cold juice or milk is great for relief. Several drinks out of my girls’ cups help their teeth feel great.

7. Crackers. Infants/toddlers love to chew on things while teething, so chewing on crackers is a great way of relieving the pain from teething. My girls love chewing on couple crackers, such as graham crackers, for relief.

Katie, 5 months

Sophia, 4 months

Hope these tips are helpful when your infant or toddler is teething. What other ways do you find helpful in relieving their pain from teething?